Have you ever heard of a love story of Princess Ori with Hikoboshi? Their story gave birth to the Tanabata festival in Japan, and I am so lucky to have a chance to participate in it at Asagaya, Tokyo. Exiting Asagaya station, I quickly saw the Tanabata festival. The hanging decorations are colorful and beautiful that I was lost in words. It is fascinating as I walked down to the street to see Chewbacca. But let us not forget about food. The festival brought street food to life, but I was keen on trying the restaurants as there are so many places to eat here.

The restaurant that I went to is an Okonomiyaki/Monjayaki restaurant called Enya. It is a DIY, “Do it Yourself,” restaurant where you can cook your order Okonomiyaki or Monjayaki to your desired, but of course, if you do not know how to cook, a waiter can help you. So, I ordered monjayaki and have a waiter to cook for me. The pan-fried cooked the vegetable, meat, and batter perfectly and kept them hot throughout. It is tasty!

Enya
東京都 杉並区 阿佐谷南 2-16-4 石井ビル Ｂ１Ｆ

Another restaurant is Yonekyuu serving Oden. There are many varieties of fish cakes, and vegetables in the broth to select from the big pot. It is a winter dish, but I do not want to miss it while staying in Japan. So, I got daikons (Japanese radish), fish cakes, a cabbage roll, and a mochi. The taste is rich and flavorful because they have been simmered in the broth for quite a while.

Yonekyuu
東京都杉並区阿佐谷北２-１１-７

Let also not forget about desserts. Chimoto offers traditional and shaved ice on its dessert menu. I had a green tea shaved ice. The green tea is rich and bitter, but when mixing with the syrup, it tastes so good on a hot day.

Chimoto
東京都杉並区阿佐谷南１-１４-１３

I enjoyed my day at the Tanabata festival and the food very much. Traveler and eater in Japan during summer should not miss the Tanabata festival celebrated between July and August.